Relationship of fabric to design

Well, at this point, this project has been knitted twice. Not by choice, of course, but to eliminate too much shelf time, aka, not be worn. I knit to wear so if there is something about a garment that doesn’t feel right or comfortable, I know its future is doomed. I must say, the fabric that was created by this stitch was the conundrum.

The honeycomb stitch is a type of cable that is dense, especially when using Lion Brand’s fisherman wool . . held double. Not so much dense in weight as the pulled stitches create a kind of air hole behind it. Maybe, you can make this out here, but dense in body.

I have knitted many of Vladimir Teriokhin’s patterns, many, or most of which are an oversized design. Meaning the style is such that the garment is meant to skim over the body or hang loosely. This is a FREE pattern, off the Lion Brand website. You can see the oversized nature of the pattern. I went happily knitting along with my gauge and knitted the pieces as per the schematic thinking nothing of what I was about to see.

Well, how exciting to finish knitting a sweater coat! I sewed the pieces together, wove the ends in, sewed the buttons and label in, bragged to my knitting friends I had finished, and had a photo or two taken. Only then, AFTER seeing the photos, did I realize I had a garment that would never see the light of day. In other words, it was awful. No, you’re not going to see a picture of that. You’re going to wonder . . Had I tried it on? yes, of course. Didn’t I notice the fit issue? no. Didn’t the mirror tell you there was a concern? no.

I have noticed this before that sometimes a photo talks back to me where a mirror does not. I believe it has something to do with distance. In the past I have caught mistakes in my knitted fabric regarding the stitch pattern, have found color mishaps, and with this project, fit issues via photos when I had not caught these mistakes simply by looking directly at the garment or in a mirror. Lesson? I now actually take photos through the knitting process to help me catch these errors.

The issue was the dense fabric and oversized shape was much, much too overwhelming for me. I had to cut way back on the amount of fabric, both in length and width, if I was to keep the honey comb stitch. I could no longer use the pattern I was using as now I wanted a closer fitting design. I pulled a coat I had from my closet that fit the way I wanted this to fit and thought it could work as my pattern. I took the measurements, kept my gauge, and re-figured stitch and row count to establish a plan for the size I now realized I needed. Oh joy . . .

Whether opened

or closed

the coat is working for me.

The weather was perfect for this shoot

We were along the Erie Canal

looking over in anticipation of the warmer weather to come.

Here is a picture of the yarn that was taken OUT of coat-attempt-one. Keep in mind these balls of yarn is double yarn, so really I have twice the amount left over, about 3 skeins.

Now, I feel this a successful project and will remember to take into consideration a garment’s fabric in relation to the suitability of the design.

So nice to read your posts again Holly. I want to see the picture of the original!
In any case, I admire your skills. First, the courage to frog an entire coat, then to re-design the pattern to fit you, and knit everything over again. The result is so worth it. It is really special and it fits you.
I’m with you on the wearability criteria. Shelf space is not unlimited, and should not be taken by projects that cannot be worn, for whatever reason. Well done!

yes, Agnes . . . I do believe this is the longest time I’ve gone silent. ok about pics of original. When you see the pics, don’t gasp too hard. Regarding shelf space . . . yes, at a premium. Must wear hand knits or don’t bother with time and expense. Thank you for your kind words.

Knitter, Designer, Writer

Holly is an avid knitter of fashion, plays with color and design, and enjoys writing. She especially loves combining the artistry of knitting with photography, getting inspiration from local historical sites as well as from nature’s four-season color and texture.